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Officials tell NBC News that President Barack Obama was able to monitor the assault on the compound that housed Osama Bin Laden in real time Sunday night from the Situation Room.
The president received "audio and visual" updates from the scene as it was unfolding, said one U.S. official.
When the team on the ground reported back that they had killed the organization's leader, at approximately 3:55pm ET on Sunday, applause broke out in the Situation Room.
According to current and former officials, CIA Director Leon Panetta was also able to watch the operation in real time from the CIA, conferring live with Vice Admiral William H. McRaven, head of the Joint Special Operations Command, who was in Afghanistan.
Full video of the assault is unlikely to be released because it contains operations information.
Two moments during the raid were particularly "heartstopping," according to one official.
The first was when the operation's helicopters first arrived at the scene. The plan was for the choppers to hover and lower 12 Seals to the ground rather than land. But one of the choppers stopped working due to a lack of air within the high compound walls.
It made a soft landing (not a crash) on the ground and the raid went forward. At that point a third "emergency" chopper on standby came to the scene.
As the team returned with bin Laden's body, they blew up the broken chopper, which resulted in a "massive explosion." The team exited in two helicopters.
The other tense moment came when the choppers were leaving the country but remained within Pakistani airspace. The Pakistanis, seeing the choppers and not knowing if they were friendly or not, scrambled their fighter jets, causing white knuckles before the helicopters were able to leave.
NBC's Courtney Kube contributed.
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Ken in NC -- Very well said! I concur 100% President Obama does not need to make 'macho' statements nor does he need to share all that is going on with the public in the hopes of making a political statements did his predecessor, instead he can multitask and take care of business on multiple fronts with successful outcomes! I honestly believe that President Obama has had one of the toughest 'first two years' of any presidency, perhaps in the history of our great country and he has not gotten the amount of credit he deserves!
Having said that, I would also like to thank our military that has done their jobs with the utmost bravery and respect for innocent civilians while at the same time keeping their eye on the enemy and taking them down whenever possible.
My congratulations to the courageous Navy Seals who carried out the mission so successfully, to the intelligence community, to the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, to the head of the CIA and to President Obama, our Commander-in-Chief. I am pleased to see many in the Republican leadership also giving credit to President Obama and his administration. We all know that if the raid had failed then the majority of his critics would have blamed President Obama, yet they refuse to give him credit when a military operation which he ordered is an unqualified success. We give Lincoln credit for winning the Civil War, Roosevelt and Truman credit for winning WWII, George Bush Senior credit for the Persian Gulf War. We also blame President Johnson for Vietnam and President George W. Bush for the Iraq War (which Pres. Obama ended). We blamed Jimmy Carter for the aborted mission which failed to free our American hostages. Clearly Americans blame Presidents for war failures and give credit for war victories to our President/Commander in Chief—UNLESS of course, he happens to be a certain African-American President by the name of Barack Obama. Fair is fair. At least have the common sense and decency (regardless of your political party) to give credit where credit is due—to the Navy Seals AND to President Obama and his administration. One of President Obama’s earliest promises in his campaign was to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. He has kept that promise in his capacity as both President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. Those who are quick to blame him for promises not yet full fulfilled should give him credit for fulfilling this important campaign promise and personal commitment to the American people.
Great job by the intelligence and boots on the ground. Good day to be an American. It doesn't matter what political party I register in, today is a day any American can rejoice over the death of a murderous terrorist.
Of course, alert levels are going to go up for awhile and that's to be expected however this is a huge victory for America and great job by the President and his staff.
Oh, I'm a democrat by the way and don't feel compelled to trump up this military victory by saying something political or smart ass. One dead Osama makes for a happy American.
Yes WE Can ??? NO YES HE DID!!!!!
GREAT JOB ? MR PRESEIDENT GREAT JOB>
Some of you need to review the time line. President Obama okayed an attack on Friday, April 29. The information and fact gathering had been going on since August, 2010, after it was determined facts and information gathered was factual or believable. The whole idea of trying "to get" Osama bin Laden was decided when Leon Panetta joined the CIA with Obama's approval. It was kept under wraps with little to no "broadcast" to the mainstream media or Congressmen/women not involved. It was a miracle plans were not disclosed months ago. Anyway, before Obama left for Alabama, Florida on Friday, April 29, he had okayed the attack. It was to be done when those on the ground, etc. felt it necessary. The killing took place on Sunday, May 1 - Osama bin Laden was buried at sea today, May 2.
There is positive vibes in these postings. But here is still under tow. Let's give credit due to those present and taking part in decisions for the past eight months!
MEMO to: JON HUNTSMAN, NEWT GINGRICH, DONALD TRUMP, RUDY GIULIANI, MITT ROMNEY, SARAH PALIN, TIM PAWLENTY, MIKE HUCKABEE and RICK SANTORUM. Only one of you congratulated President Obama on his action and involvement - Donald Trump. President Obama was so involved in this operation you can see it on his face as well as the others in the room!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42853295/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1
Unfortunately we are not safer now than before. There is no closure for those who suffered loss of life in the felling of the twin towers. This is not a death blow to Al Qaeda as long as there radicals in this world who would subvert a religion to their liking! Justice has been carried out by US "Special Ops" unit, and should be commended and there should be no questions about President Obama's legitimacy, but:
We are hearing from Brush Himoff and other detractors that Bush should get the credit because President Obama would "bow down and seek forgiveness", their words. To all who do not want to give President Obama his credit due - It's OK, we, the military veterans served so you too can spew your unwarranted disgust! Here we are in a post-dead-man-walking era and the naysayers spew their versions to the gullible masses in hopes of thwarting this "game-changer". Here's the real bottom line: President Obama got Osama! President Obama is president! President Obama approved the operation! All that is being disclosed today happened before yesterday! Our "Special Ops" guys did the work at the direction of President Obama! I served so that "WE" could all voice our opinions without fear of reprisals and there are those who will change the actual operation and credit given to justify their versions. There was only one side to this operation and it was "OUR OPERATION" with "OUR SPECIAL OPS GUYS" and "WE GOT IT DONE"!
To All Naysayers and Conspiracy Theorists:
I have a theory. Its a political theory based on recent events. This President has demonstrated an uncanny ability to make his detractors look like fools. Whether its by hint or inuendo (Trump's thorough roasting at the Correspondence Dinner) or by fact (release of the long form birth certificate or successful passage of key legislation) he has succeeded in making dunces of the birthers, Death Panel proponents and political opportunists. Consistent with this pattern, he will wait for the naysaying and idiotic conspiracy debate over Osama's demise to reach fever pitch. Then, when a few of his political rivals (particularly potential Republican nominees) get caught up in that Osama "conspiracy web" he releases pictures and video that puts the issue to rest and instantaneously reduces the rivals to...Trumpers, aka, losers! So, let's wait to see which prominent politico nibbles at this Osama conspiracy nonsense. Oh, they are currently silent still tending to their wounds from the birther a$$-whipping. But like hypnotized moths, they'll eventually succumb to that anti-Obama gene and become transfixed on the conspiracy "light" to their detriment. Wait for it...wait for it...Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Sadly I knew that within 24hrs Fox would have their viewers believing that the whole thing happened because of the policies of Bush/Chaney.
By this morning for every time I heard Obama's name mentioned it was outnumbered at least 10-1 in favor of Bush, Chaney etc.
Comments like
- we are hear because of Pres Bush.
- Condi Rice even had the never to claim "I remember when the curriers name was brought to my attention and we started investigating him" PLEASE, like she really remembers someone years ago mentioning a very low level person that may or may not carry messages.
How about in 8yrs and Tora Bora no capture... in 2 yrs KIA and no you can't take credit for torturing someone 5 yrs ago as the reason why we knew where OBL was hiding. Bad try.
Sadly they have also started up the Obama's lying chatter with comments like
"They claim OBL is dead, but why won't they release the proof"?
SAD JUST SAD